


Aye, Cap'n

by winterda



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Girl Peter Quill, I Don't Even Know, No Smut, Not A Fix-It, Not Beta Read, Post-Movie, Rule 63, kind of, ship if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 13:39:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11381319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterda/pseuds/winterda
Summary: Kraglin can't sleep the night of the funeral.





	Aye, Cap'n

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Disney owns all.  
> AN: If you missed it in the tags, this is a Girl-Peter AU. It doesn't make much of difference here, but I wanted to be sure you guys caught that.

It started up again the night of the funeral, which wasn't as much as a surprise as he wanted it to be. Kraglin always made questionable decisions on 'too much' days – too much hurt or loneliness or sadness or booze (or a combination of all like that day had been). He had ever since he was a youngin' and finally exploded back at his Paw because of a beating he took over some juice that his little sister had accidentally spilled. That hadn't worked out well for him. It rarely did when he finally let everything get to him and he'd had to do something about it. Berhert was all the proof anyone needed of why when his head gets messed up, so does his life. Only difference was that that time he took everyone else down with him.

The point was he should have known better than to do anything but to stay safely locked in his room and get shit-faced all by his lonesome. Things have a tendency not to go the way he wants them too. Night turned out to be far longer than he remembered, and the ship was too quiet to be comfortable, and the booze did nothing but slosh around in his stomach. It was hours of dark ceilings and darker thoughts and hot pain in his chest until he couldn't take it no more. 

The corridors ain't no better. No one tripping along to get back to their bunks. No dog-piles of those who didn't make it. Just an unimpeded journey wherever he wanted to go. 

It wasn't right.

He just let his feet take him where they wanted, so it wasn't a real surprise that he found himself outside the Cap'n's quarters. It was a walk he made ever morning for the past fifteen years so he could deliver the morning reports and schedules and anything else the Cap'n might be needing for the day. Didn't have to make that trip no more, but his feet didn't know it yet. 

He wasn't real sure what he expected to find when he went inside, but Pete curled up on top of the Cap'n's bed seemed like it was about right. She was on top of the covers, but all tucked up like a cat. 

Kraglin remembered finding her like that a lot when she was first came onto the ship. She'd curl up in all sort of places, and it was usually up to him to get her out seeing as how he was the smallest and youngest next to her. He'd once found her lodged beneath a storage unit shelf down on C-Deck and had been half-panicked about her getting stuck because weren't no one else going to be able to fish her out. She'd slipped out easy as she pleased when she was ready. That incident was one of the selling points Yondu had used to prove she was worth keeping around.

She wasn't anywhere near that small anymore, but he wouldn't call her a big by any means. She could look her green friend in the eye and all, but Pete would never be a powerhouse like her. Pete liked it that way, though. People tended to underestimate her because of her size. Always ended up regretting, too.

He could hear music crooning all soft and small the closer he got to the bed and saw that she had the Zune clutched in her hands and hooked in one ear. Her eyes were red and wet, which made that green pop all the more when they glanced up at him. Take away the sleeping Twig nestled next to her and switch the Zune for her Walkman, and it could be that first night twenty-four years ago when she finally fought herself out and then cried herself to sleep on that very bed. He'd remembered wondering what Yondu planned on doing with a kid – which was kind of ironic to him now, considering he couldn't even shave at the time – but not questioning the Cap'n's decision. He said this one wasn't going to Ego like all the other had, she wasn't going to Ego. That was that. 

Had been, anyway. He knew she wished she never had now. 

He certainly did.

Truth was, though, that Kraglin didn't know if it'd make a difference. Cap'n seemed to had lost his fight when Teaserface and the others executed half the crew. It wasn't until the Rat had said that Ego had managed to get his hands on Pete that it came back. Kraglin couldn't rightly say what would have happened if Pete hadn't managed to land herself in trouble yet again, but he was betting the sort and figured that it would have ended much the same for the Cap'n, only with Kraglin himself going dutifully along for the ride too once he got his head back on straight.

Kraglin couldn't help but wonder if that wouldn't have been better.

Pete sniffed and wiped her cheeks, but didn't say nothing when he walk around the bed and sat down. It was the biggest one of the ship, of course, seeing how it was the Cap'n's, but was still small enough that he couldn't help but have Pete's back pressed into his side when he laid down. Another dark ceiling stared back down at him, but a semi-warm body laying next to him was a nice little change from his own quiet bunk.

Closing his eyes, Kraglin laid still and listened to the distorted notes of Pete's player. He could almost pretend then that nothing had changed. It still smelled like the Cap'n in here: the liquor he liked and the pipe he'd sometimes use when Pete was being extra trouble. There were other smells, too, from the last night when everyone who was left bunked down here because they could. Engine grease, dirt, sweat, and cheap alcohol – it smelled like home.

Especially with Pete.

She was never big on perfume or whatnot, but she'd always favored some flowery shampoo from Xandar ever since she was old enough to start caring about the difference between “clean” and “clean and smell nice.” Being the only female Ravager on the ship, none of them faulted her for not wanting to use the stuff that came in industrial size canisters and smelled like a hospital when it smelled like anything at all. Girls should smell pretty if they wanted too. It wasn't like anyone was going to try and steal it from her. Not after the time Gef did and used the whole bottle up in one go to impress some girls on Liss. Man smelled like a flower shop exploded in a bar for three days before it started to wear off, which the other Ravagers were more than happy to rag him about. That, of course, being after Pete raked him over one and then nicked his favorite knife and traded it for a new bottle before they left port. It was a fair trade as far as the Cap'n was concerned. It was also kind of funny the way Gef would watch Pete with a little bit of fear and awe after the painful little promises of what she'd do to him if he did again.

Little Penny Quill was never shy about making sure that no one messed with her twice.

Gef was gone now, though. So was everyone else, except for him and Penny.

Pete. He meant Pete. She didn't like the name Penny none. She said it made her stand out too even more than she already did with them. 

Not that it matter much anymore being as there wasn't a “them” left.

Kraglin was surprised how shaky the sigh he let out was. The lump that had tightened in his throat in the past few minutes made it hard for him to swallow no matter how hard he tried. The first hot bit of wetness that traitorously slipped from his eyes made him want to rage.

_Letting sentiment get the better of you, you idgit?_ a voice that was far too familiar to not hurt right then snapped. _What's wrong with you?_

Angrily swiping at his face, he fought hard to keep his face fixed and his breath steady, but it was a loosing battle. The more he tried, the more ground he lost until the whole world was reduced to nothing but the steady stream rolling down his face and the hard breaths that burned his raw throat. There wasn't no wailing. Kraglin had more pride than that, but everything else was just too much to stay in where it should and leaked out.

Pete's own sniffles had quieted into nothing but shaky breaths, but she was gracious enough to give him some dignity and not turn to him. They laid that way for awhile; her staring off at the wall: him, the ceiling. Neither really moving, but not leaving either. 

When his own breaths started to clear and the tightness didn't choke him so tight, she lifted her head a little. For a horrifying moment, he was worried she'd say something then. Pete always loved to talk, even when she shouldn't. Instead, she grabbed something and held it up. The little white headphone was pinched between her fingers as the music continued to drift softly from it. 

Kraglin blinked at it for moment before taking it from her. It took a little adjusting because the cord wasn't that long but was still better than the old headphones that her Walkman used. He rolled onto his side and pressed his back to hers before slipping the thing into his ear.

He couldn't really say what it was he was listening to. It was different than any of the other stuff she had, but the same all together. Yondu had the dealer download a bunch of songs on the thing before adding whatever had been left in the _Eclector's_ computer system. Krgalin never felt like it was much his business what was on there. He still didn't, but if Pete was offering, he wasn't going to turn her down.

He couldn't rightly say how long he listened or how many songs he went through. They all sort of blended one into another in a melody of upbeats and sad words and slow solos and promises of love and remembrance. At some point, he'd drifted off because he found himself waking up later. Not to the pleas for help from his friends, or the Cap'n's orders to get off the damn planet, or Pete's painful cries when they finally found them: but to a soft song of a man pledging to be faithful to his love no matter where he was.

Blinking a little, Kraglin wiped at his dry face with the palm of his hand. For a heartbeat, he forgot where he was and wondered why his ear hurt a little and why someone was singing into it. That didn't last long, of course. 

He turned his face to bury it in the pillow he was laying on, but something tugged on his jacket to keep him from moving too much. Curious, he lifted his head a little and twisted a little to look behind him as he pulled out the headphone. At some point, Pete had rolled over and snuggled up against him. Her head was tucked up against his shoulders, while she had two handfuls of the back of his jacket. She was making those breathy little sounds that she didn't whenever she was out cold and just pressed herself more against him when he tried to move. He hadn't seen her like that in a long, long time. 

His squirming woke the Twig, though. At some point, it had gotten up from its earlier spot and made it a little place by lying across Pete's hip and against his back. It yawned widely before blinking up at him. It glanced up at his hand that still held the headphone before carefully standing and balancing on Pete's side. As easy as it could, it moved along between them: sometimes on Pete, sometimes on him. It wasn't long before the little thing had his headphone in hand, and then it reached down into the small space that Pete had left between them. The Zune came up along with the other end of the headphone. The Twig held it up to him and waited patiently. Kraglin wasn't real sure what it wanted him to do, so he took it and turned it off. With a nod of agreement, Twig jumped off of Kraglin's shoulder and took the Zune from him. Carefully as it could, it walked over and opened the drawer next to the bed to place it inside. He left the drawer opened, of course, but seemed to have learned a little since the last time Kraglin had caught it fooling with it.

Turning back to him, it placed its little fist on its hips and frowned at him.

“I am Groot,” it said. The way it said it was like an order of some kind, though what it was for Kraglin didn't have any idea.

He did, however, know how to respond to an order. 

“Aye, Cap'n.”

It rolled off his tongue before he had a chance to stop it. He swallowed at the tightness that constricted his throat once more, but the Twig didn't appear to notice. It just nodded its head once and then trotted back towards him. When it was clear it was going to climb over him, Kraglin helped it up and over. Once it got back into its spot from earlier, it too snuggled up against him and closed its eyes.

Quiet filled the room again, only interrupted by Pete's deep, even breaths. Kraglin knew from experience that she wasn't about to let go of him and he got the distinct feeling that the Twig wanted him to stay as well, so he tucked his arm under his pillow and settled down again.

It all sort of reminded him of the first time he and Pete had shared a bunk – this one, actually. That first day she was on board had been a mess of them trying to keep this little hellion they'd picked up in one place or fighting them. She'd bit and kicked and hissed at anyone who came to close to her, and seeing how she didn't have a translator, she couldn't understand them nor they her. It was kind of like chasing a feral cat around, and none of them were too happy even when they did manage to catch her. Tulk still had the scars of that day until his last.

When they did manage to get her somewhat under control, the Cap'n had brought her right back here and dropped her on the bed. Tear-stained and red-faced, she bore her teeth at him and screeched something in her language. They never did find out what she said exactly, but it was clearly meant to tell them they'd be sorry. The Cap'n had snorted like he had understood, though, and then turned to Kraglin, who he'd ordered to follow him when he headed for his cabin.

“I've got some things to take care of,” he told him. “It's your job to watch out for her until I get back. Got it?”

“Aye, Cap'n,” Kraglin had answered with a sharp salute.

The Cap'n gave him a nod and then left him alone with the little Terran. She'd glared at him and curse at him (he was sure because he knew Pete now and that's how she was). He'd been fine with all that. It was when she started to cry – really, honestly cry – that he couldn't take. The ugly little hiccups and sniffs and choking cries had done him in and sent him looking for something – anything – to make her stop. Thankfully, Yondu had locked up her bag in one of his storage units in the room, so it was easy enough for Kraglin to get it. The second she laid eyes on the thing, she sucked up another sob and snatched the thing right out of his hands. She'd dug through it with a purpose, and the relief was evident on her face when she found her Walkman. Kraglin hadn't known what to expect the first time she pulled on the headphones and had been rather shocked when he heard music starting to play. She'd glared at his curiosity, though, before curling on her side to listen.

It hadn't taken long before she fell asleep. He remembered creeping over to her and giving her a little poke just to be sure before relaxing any. He sat down next to her and watched her for a bit, but the music made him curious. Figuring she wouldn't mind much, he'd slipped the headphones off her head and held one up to his ear. None of the words made any sense – some of them still didn't even after the translators adjusted to English – but the melody was nice and soothing. It wasn't long before he himself nodded off. He woke up to find Penny clutching to him like an Azarian octopus, and the Cap'n glaring down at him.

Kraglin held in a snort. There wasn't much different now, and yet nothing was the same. Never would be, either.

He froze when he felt her press her face a little more into his shoulders and pull him a little tighter against her.

“Krag,” she said mainly into his jacket. “Go back to sleep.”

He didn't really know why, but he felt his whole body relax at her order. He guessed he was just the type that needed someone to tell him what to do, and Penny Quill had always been trying to do that since the day they meet. Only this time, he was willing to listen. She was the ranking officer, after all.

Closing his eyes again, Kraglin tucked his pillow a little more firmly under his head and let himself get a bit more comfortable. Everything was still there from before, but it didn't hurt quite as bad as it did hours earlier. That emptiness didn't echo near as much, and the loneliness wasn't so lonely anymore.

There was still two of them. 

He could live with that.

So he said, “Aye, Cap'n.”

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Okay, so I have this headcanon that Ego could control a lot about his off-springs' genetic make up. Not everything, but enough that he could sway certain traits, like the gender of the baby. In this universe, Meredith made mention she always wanted a girl, and thus, Girl-Peter came about. I think I might write some more in this universe at some point, but I'm not sure. I also think I'm just determined to take on as many GotG tropes when it comes to the Ravengers and Peter, but hey, it's fun.


End file.
